I've had this camera for a month or so (and LOVE it BTW!), but I'm curious which settings you guys use most...
I'm a total amateur and only use the Auto settings (so far...I'd love to take a class someday, but...) I find myself using the Portrait setting a lot because I love the way it really highlights the person. But, would you use Portrait when taking a picture of more than one child?
Also, we were at my dds soccer game and took some shots using the Sports setting and they were all blurry. It was starting to get dark, is that why?
I tend to just let the flash do it's thing, but my dh is always saying--turn the flash off, it looks cooler! However, the shots always seem to be blurry if I don't use a flash (in low light obviously).
Anyway, I've loved reading all of your discussions about your cameras and lenses, etc. (Julie and Tracy--you two specifically, but I know there are other photo buffs out there!) I've always loved taking pictures, but have always just "taken pictures". I'm just sooo loving using this camera, but I bet it can do so much more than I have yet to discover.
Oh, one other thing... Do you guys have a certain place that you get prints made? I rarely even get prints, but I was thinking I might want to frame some pictures or give some as gifts. Are there different qualities of prints? Are the prints from Smugmug, Shutterfly, etc. just as good as any?
Lots of questions--sorry! Thanks for any input!
__________________
Molly
Mama to Tate 7/26/97, Flynn 7/14/99, Leo 2/22/02 &
Koen-born at home-5/24/05
Location: Is she smart, so well-read Are there books, are there novels by her bed? And is she the sort that you've always said Could satisfy your head?
Posts: 19,190
i use wolf exclusively for prints and i have a local source for canvas heirloom enlargements if someone wants that. i go into my local wolf and order the prints in person. i could send them electronically but i like being in store, sometimes when i send them electronically they don't come out right but if i do it in-store it's fine. no idea why. my wolf people know me (i'm the birthy pregnant woman photographer lady ) and we work well together IMO.
i shoot a mixture of auto modes and manual. i generally shoot manual if it is a planned shoot...like kids or a family. i have a shoot tomorrow and another on sunday, for example...kids/families for holiday photos. i'll use manual for those. i have more control that way. at a birth when things are generally low-light and happening quickly, i have used the green mode or another auto mode just so i don't have to worry about figuring it out in my head and maybe missing something important in the process.
that may change soon however as i'm getting pretty good with my speedlight and have found ways to use it with my d50 that produces nice, natural lighting w/o that horrid glare, and since i'm bouncing it to the side or behind me it isn't flashing at the subject...which could allow me to have enough lighting to shoot manual at a birth w/o being intrusively flashing AT them. it adds ambient light if you use it right, or so i am finding.
i pretty much do not like the on-camera flash. no control over it short of turning it off, from what i've found.
the sports auto mode will work great in full daylight sports...like soccer on a saturday morning type thing. in low light you either need to learn about apertures/shutter speeds so you can shoot manual (and giving the camera the most light for the right amount of time to get the image w/o blur) or change lenses to one that has a long focal point but lets you go to a small aperture...hmm...but even that may blur in low light. do you have a tripod? that's a *need* in low light situations where you do not use the flash bc on auto mode the camera will hold it's shutter open longer to allow enough light in for the image, but your hand will shake as you breathe creating blur.
there is a great book i love called "UNDERSTANDING EXPOSURE" by bryan peterson. it explains a lot about this very thing...
one of my art teachers once was talking with me about photography...he is probably the teacher who influenced me most in my life. he described it as "painting with light" and i've seen that said elsewhere since hearing it from him, but it has stuck with me. it's kind of how i think about it, still. once you understand how light works inside the camera and how you can manipulate that, it all works beautifully...
i hth...
edited to add: i forgot to comment on the portrait mode. yes, you can use it on more than one child but you want to play around with the focal point...the distance from the lens to the camera, in order to get that nice blur (bokeh ) around your subjects.
the nikkor F1.8 D AF 50mm lens is great for this as well...actually better.
I think I might get that lens--I've seen a couple people talk about it and it's gotten good reviews on various sites...
I have the 18-55mm lens that came with the D50 kit and find myself zooming in mostly. However, it was nice to get full shots of the whole Thanksgiving table this year!
It's funny how buying this camera has just shown me how much more I want to learn. I've gotten some great shots, but they have mostly been accidents! At least that's the great thing about digital--the delete button!!
i suggest using the P mode...it will basically set everything for you but will remove the flash.
Interesting...
I've basically been afraid to even try any of "those" settings
I really need to learn more, more, more!!! I think I'll check out both of those books--thanks for the recommendations!
One other thing... do you guys use the Picture Project software that came with the camera? I've been using it to crop and sometimes "enhance" the pictures, although I've found that I'm usually happiest with the clarity and color of the original. I also use it to make the pics black and white--is this how you usually do that too? Or, Julie--I know you use Smugmug--do you do cropping and editing after you've imported the pictures there?
Is there other software that you prefer? I've found the Picture Project to be slooooooow and it drives me crazy. Now I'm thinking I need a new computer--an iMac maybe--Christmas, anyone???! This photography thing can get expensive!
Anyway, thanks for all the advice! I've really enjoyed "eavesdropping" on your past photography conversations and I love looking at all your pictures!!
No, I don't mind! It's funny because I saw that link that you posted and went to the site, but it was 11:30 last night and I figured I better get to bed! I'll download it for sure...
I loved that picture, but yes, it's obviously too dark. I was able to lighten it with the Picture Project software, but then the background was too white. I like what you did better. But, it looks like you do give up some of the crispness maybe?
On the other hand, sometimes I like the "grainy" look of pictures. I was looking at your new site (which looks great, BTW!) and you had some shots--I think they were in the baby section--that were kind of grainy looking and I really liked them. Our photographer at our birth had some like that too, but they were film, not digital.
Ah well, again--so much to learn...
Thanks though--you can use my photos all you want!!
EDITED: I was wrong--the pictures were in the "Newborn" section--like the one with the baby on the moms chest--they just have a different look, not grainy necessarily, but different... I really like them!
Last edited by TateFlynnLeo : 12-11-2006 at 01:16 PM.
Location: Is she smart, so well-read Are there books, are there novels by her bed? And is she the sort that you've always said Could satisfy your head?
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i find i get that look you saw in the newborn pic on julie's site when i shoot digital in lower light and then edit over to b/w. i've got quite a few from labors/births that have that feel to them. i don't mind it either, but was a little surprised when i first started shooting digital bc i didn't expect it. sometimes there are definite differences in dig/film.
also, you can create that sort of effect on purpose if you alter your ISO settings in your (dig) camera...higher ISO is better for lower light situations but it also lends more grain or noise to the finished image. (the same applies to film cameras but you would use a different speed film or "push" the ISO setting on the camera to a setting that is different than the film being used.) the d50 is set to ISO 200 by default but can be changed.
Location: Is she smart, so well-read Are there books, are there novels by her bed? And is she the sort that you've always said Could satisfy your head?
Posts: 19,190
no, not grumpy, they're beautiful kids!
question (for my info)...did you use the on-camera flash for your daughter's shot or do you have a speedlight?
(learning my speedlight over here and trying to get a feel for what/how others use flash...)
) and we work well together IMO.
) around your subjects.
Linear Mode
